• It was a basic unit of organization in pre-Hispanic Mexican society. Formed by a large house or a neighborhood, it functioned self-sufficiently, with a specialization in work or purpose beyond its usual activities.
• The notion of family in a Calpulli included friends, relatives, or people who got along well with one another.
• All Calpullis, individually and sometimes collectively, were under the protection of the same Spiritual Being, a God, or an Elder.
• Each Calpulli had its own social identity, which did not prevent them from being united or in good communication with each other.
• For example, when I speak of a group of homes inhabited by friendly families who share moments together, use the same car to take the children to school, cultivate a garden together, or share the same water well, I am referring to something similar to a modern Calpulli.
• The members of a Calpulli make their skills available for the common good and to support or help those in need.
• They worked for the Calpulli and at the same time for the rest of society.
• The origin of the Calpullis can be found in the Aztec, or rather Nahua, culture, which came from the group of tribes that migrated from the mythical Aztlán, in northern Mexico.
• With the settlement of this migratory movement came the foundation of Tenochtitlán, Mexico, the Mexicas, and the formation of Aztec society.
• Today, we could define a Calpulli as a group of friendly families with the same aspirations and a unifying function that identifies them.

Calpulli = School

• Within the Calpullis there was a school where teaching, knowledge, and awareness were shared so that its inhabitants could live together in a proper way.
• They taught traditions, ceremonies, self-sufficiency, order, cleanliness, socialization, cultural exchange, and trades.
• Primarily, they taught behavior, discipline, and how to do things well.

The foundation of teaching in the Calpullis was:

• Mastery
• Respect for others, in spirit and in action
• And humility.

Caty Marí